Mitsubishi will offer battery-electric Outlander crossover by March 2013

Mitsubishi, which will unveil the latest version of its Outlander crossover at the Geneva International Motor Show next month, will start selling a battery-electric version of the CUV by next spring.

The Japanese automaker said it will add an "EV-based Outlander model" to its lineup during its fiscal year 2012, indicating that the EV will start sales by March 31, 2012. Mitsubishi didn't provide further details on specifications, price or range, saying only that the powertrain would be based on Mitsubishi's "already existing EV technology." Last July, Ward's Auto reported that Mitsubishi would start selling a plug-in hybrid-electric version of the Outlander Sport in 2013. The automaker first unveiled a concept version of the plug-in at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show,

Mitsubishi's battery-electric crossover marks its continued efforts to cut its fleets' carbon footprint by way of broader electrification. Mitsubishi, which started selling its battery-electric Mitsubishi i on the West Coast and in Hawaii last November, last month confirmed that the i would be available nationwide by summer, earlier than expected. The car, which costs about $6,000 less than the $35,200 Nissan Leaf battery electric, was named in November by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy as the U.S.'s most fuel-efficient vehicle in terms of its so-called miles-per-gallon-equivalent ratings.

Earlier this month, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked the Mitsubishi i the "greenest" car sold in the U.S. this year. The ACEEE had bestowed that award on the Honda Civic Natural Gas for the previous eight straight years, though the Leaf shared last year's distinction with the CNG-powered Civic.


Source: Autoblog Green

Even Though Think is Bankrupt, Some Cars Remain for Sale

If you were smitten by the little electric Think City and thought the company's recent bankruptcy put the kibosh on your chances of ever owning one of the plastic-paneled car, then *ahem, think again. It seems there are still some of the city runabouts to be had if you look in the right place.

One such location is Green Wheels in Chicago, IL. The dealership, as the name suggests, specializes in all-electric and hybrid vehicles and has a couple post-rebated demos on hand they can sell for as low as $17,995. If you're willing to lay out $31,500 for a brand-new one – and remember, there are rebates still available in some states that can bring that initial sticker down below $20,000 – they have a couple of those as well and say that they have access to more. While that price is nicely down from the pre-bankruptcy $36,495 MSRP, it's a little uncomfortably close to that of the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i. Still, we liked the little coupe when we drove it and for some, this car just might be the bee's knees.

If you do happen to make the trip to Green Wheels, you might also get a chance to see the BYD e6 in person. The dealership will be offering the Chinese all-electric crossover later this year and already has one on the lot you can look over.



Source: Autoblog Green

New Mitsubishi i-MIEV Unseats Honda Civic Natural Gas after 8 Consecutive Years at the Top

PRESS RELEASE

With the auto industry back on its feet and fuel economy standards shifting into high gear, automakers provided American consumers with a huge array of vehicles and technologies to choose from in 2012. Today at greenercars.org, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its 14th annual comprehensive environmental rankings showing how these offerings stack up.

The "Greenest" list saw a considerable shake-up this year, with the Mitsubishi i-MIEV battery electric vehicle claiming the top spot from the Honda Civic Natural Gas, which has held on to first place for eight years in a row. Making its model year 2012 debut on the American market, the i-MIEV earns a score of 58, the highest Green Score awarded since the rankings began in 1998. With a combined city and highway fuel economy of 112 miles per gallon equivalent, the i-MIEV outpaces all other vehicles currently sold in United States. "Even taking into account the emissions generated from the electricity used to power the i-MIEV, it still handily outscores other vehicles on the market today," said ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan.

The Honda Civic Natural Gas, despite its improved fuel economy this year, appears in second place, tied with the Nissan Leaf. Rounding out the top six are the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, and the Smart ForTwo. This year, hybrids dominate the "Greenest" list occupying half of all spots. Highly efficient conventional gasoline vehicles also continue to have a presence on the "Greenest" list, claiming three of the top twelve spots.

"It's increasingly obvious that automakers are fully invested in providing consumers with the widest possible array of vehicle choices. Earning a spot on the " Greenest" list is proving to be a real challenge for automakers given the variety of vehicle technologies on the market and the proliferation of highly efficient conventional vehicles. Just using the latest technology does not guarantee a top spot," said Vaidyanathan. This year saw the arrival of a number of new hybrid options for drivers from Hyundai, Kia, and Infiniti, but none broke into the top twelve.

Widely regarded as the pre-eminent buyer's guide to environment-friendly passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs, greenercars.org provides the facts necessary to examine the eco-performance of any 2012 model.

Vehicles are analyzed on the basis of a "Green Score," a singular measure that incorporates unhealthy tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and emissions of gases that contribute to climate change.

This year, a number of updates were made to the Green Book® methodology to more accurately estimate vehicles' environmental impacts. These include improved emissions estimates for the vehicle manufacturing process, changes reflecting current natural gas extraction practices, and consideration of upcoming shifts in the generation mix for the electricity used to power electric cars.

The greenercars.org website also identifies top, widely-available models in each vehicle class. This "Greener Choices" list includes trucks and SUVs such as the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Canyon, Honda Odyssey, and the Ford F-150 (FFV). Cars such as the Chevrolet Sonic-5 and Hyundai Sonata top their respective classes. As the list demonstrates, consumers can make "greener choices" whatever their vehicle needs may be. Domestic manufacturers claimed five of the twelve spots.

The "Meanest" list this year sees a number of heavier light-duty vehicles, pushing out European sports cars as the highest emitters. The dirtiest vehicles for 2012 are the twin Chevrolet G3500 Express and GMC G3500 Savana cargo vans, followed by the Ford E-350 Wagon and the Bugatti Veyron sports car.

In addition to highlighting the year's "Greenest," "Meanest," "Greener Choices," and best-in-class lists, the greenercars.org website features informational write-ups on model year 2012 highlights, a consumer primer on vehicles and the environment, and advice on how to buy green when shopping for a new car or truck.

Summary "Green Scores" of the 1,000+ configurations of all model year 2012 vehicles are made available to subscribers of ACEEE's Green Book® Online interactive database along with each configuration's fuel economy, health-related pollution impacts, and greenhouse gas emissions. Subscribers can also build custom lists for comparing vehicles. Monthly and annual subscriptions to ACEEE's Green Book® Online are available at greenercars.org .

About ACEEE: The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, visit aceee.org.

Mitsubishi Motors Makes Initial Delivery of 2012 Mitsubishi i Electric Vehicles to the Town of Normal, Illinois

PRESS RELEASE

Normal, Illinois, January 24, 2012 – Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA), today delivered six (6) brand-new 2012 Mitsubishi i electric vehicles (EVs) featuring Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (MiEV) technology to the Town of Normal and Mayor Chris Koos in a ceremony held in the hometown of Mitsubishi Motors' U.S. vehicle manufacturing plant.

In addition to Mayor Chris Koos, other speakers at the event included Jerry Berwanger, EVP & COO of MMNA Manufacturing Division and Ryan Gremore, General Manager of O'Brien Mitsubishi in Normal, Illinois.

Upon conclusion of their remarks, these dignitaries handed the keys to the new Mitsubishi EVs to six Normal Town Council members who then experienced the fun-to-drive 100% electric-powered vehicles for themselves by driving around Normal and visiting charming locales including the Normal Theater and Carl's Ice Cream Store - settings featured in the Japanese auto manufacturer's advertising campaign for the 2012 Mitsubishi i.

"Putting these six all-electric cars into our fleet is the next major step in the EVTown initiative, which has put Normal-Bloomington in the national spotlight as a forward-thinking community," said Normal Mayor Chris Koos. "The Town of Normal is eager to get these cars into service and to show our community how well EVs work for a variety of tasks, even in our cold January weather."
The event marked the first delivery of the all-electric 2012 Mitsubishi i to a customer outside the states of Hawaii, California, Oregon, or Washington.

"I would like to thank the Town of Normal, Mayor Chris Koos and the Normal Town Council members, the EV Task Force and the entire local community for all of the support they have provided to Mitsubishi Motors over the years," said MMNA President & CEO Yoichi Yokozawa in a statement. "The Town of Normal is setting an excellent example for the rest of America to follow by embracing this exciting, environmentally-friendly and money-saving new form of transportation."

Mitsubishi Motors and the State of Illinois announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last year that marked the start of a working relationship between both parties to help foster important initiatives that support electric vehicles like the 2012 Mitsubishi i.
For more information, please visit MitsubishiCars.com/imievfleet and EVTown.org.

About Mitsubishi Motors Corporation

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all manufacturing, finance, sales, marketing, research and development operations for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells coupes, convertibles, sedans and sport utility vehicles through a network of approximately 400 dealers. In November of 2011, MMNA launched the battery-powered electric vehicle Mitsubishi i as part of a corporate mission to offer consumers more environmentally responsible modes of transportation. This battery-powered electric vehicle technology addresses the need for vehicles that produce zero tailpipe emissions and support a growing agenda for sustainability. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

Study: 95% Of All Trips Could Be Made By EV’s

Electric vehicles are finally starting to saturate the market, though some of the same old arguments continue to be made against the limited range of EV’s. But a new study but two doctoral students claims that 95% of all single-destination trips could be made by today’s electric vehicles. Surprised? Don’t be.

Cars like the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i are rated at a real-world range of between 70 and 80 miles. That doesn’t sound like much range, but two Columbia University students analyzed data from a 2009 National Household Travel study, and came to the conclusion that only 1% of all single-destination trips were farther than 70 miles. An overwhelming majority (95%) of these trips were under 30 miles in length, well within today’s range limitations.

But the doctoral students Garret Fitzgerald and Rob van Haaren (who run the website Solar Journey USA) did not stop there, going on to tackle the American commuter mentality. Their findings? 93% of commuters travel less than 100 miles to work every day, just beyond the average range of today’s EV’s. But the average commute was 13.6 miles, well within the range of today’s EV’s.

Of course that does not solve the problem of high prices and limited public charging options. EV’s may not make sense for everybody. But, once the prices come down and EV’s can be competitive with today’s compact cars, EV’s will make sense for a lot of people, no matter what the politicians and pundits try to tell you.

Source: Gas2.0

2012 Mitsubishi i Proves Itself At Indy - VIDEO

The Mitsubishi iMiEV proves itself at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Mitsubishi Rewards Hawaii Teacher With 2012 iMiEV

Once upon a time, the only real reward for being a good teacher was to see your students get excited about a subject or do well in exams -- but now a lucky teacher has been rewarded for his good work with a year-long loan of a brand-new 2012 Mitsubishi i.

As Plugincar contributor Eric Loveday reports, the all-electric car was awarded to Chad Miller, a language and arts teacher at Kailua High School in Hawaii for a year after he was nominated 2012 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year.

Not only will Miller get exclusive, free use of the 2012 Mitsubishi i for a year, but the prize also includes two charging stations -- one for his home and one for the school where he works -- to ensure the all-electric i never runs out of charge.

With the $29,125-$33,915 2012 Mitsubishi i not due to hit dealer lots until early next year, Miller joins an exclusive group of Mitsubishi i drivers which have been given access to the all-electric city car before it officially launches.

As we’ve said before, Hawaii is probably the most suited of all the states to promote electric cars thanks to its temperate climate, small size and burgeoning hydroelectric and geothermal, solar and wind clean energy projects.

In addition to getting an all-electric ride to impress his students for the coming year, Miller will also represent the state of Hawaii at the 2012 National Teacher of the Year competition next year.

Source: Green Car Reports

All-New 100% Electric-Powered Mitsubishi i Earns Impressive EPA Rated 62 Mile/98 Mile LA4 Mode Range and 112 MPGe Rating

PRESS RELEASE

CYPRESS, Calif., July 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) has seen its all-new Mitsubishi i battery-powered electric vehicle rated to deliver a best-in-segment "fuel" efficiency as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the areas of both mile-per-gallon equivalency (MPGe) and driving range.

The 100% electric-powered Mitsubishi i has earned an EPA-rated 126 MPGe in city driving and 99 MPGe out on the highway (112 MPGe combined). Additionally, the EPA has also awarded the stylish and fun-to-drive electric vehicle (EV) a "real world" driving range of 62 miles. The "real world" EPA driving evaluation incorporates battery-sapping segments of aggressive driving and operating the vehicle in higher ambient temperatures with the air conditioning on.

Additionally, the EPA has rated the vehicle's LA4 driving cycle range at 98 miles. The EPA LA4 driving cycle test covers a distance of approximately 7.5 miles and includes numerous brief stops along the route to mimic in-town driving and its accompanying start/stops for traffic signals. Mitsubishi has worked to improve the driving range of the 2012 Mitsubishi i: The 98 mile range is attributed to software upgrades and a revamped regenerative braking system.

"We feel that with the combination of capability, affordability, and high level of efficiency offered by the 2012 Mitsubishi i will prove very appealing to consumers considering EV transportation," said Yoichi Yokozawa, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America.

With a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $27,990 for the base ES model before a federal tax credit of $7,500 and various state financial incentives (subject to availability of funding), the Mitsubishi i is the most affordably-priced mass-produced electric vehicle available in the United States.

Among the vehicle's long list of standard amenities are an energy-efficient electric air conditioning with micron filter, speed-sensitive Electric Power Steering (EPS), driver seat heater and LED rear combination tail lamps. Advanced safety features including dual-stage supplemental front air bags, driver and front passenger seat-mounted side impact supplemental air bags, roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for front and rear-seat outboard passengers, Active Stability Control (ASC) with Traction Control Logic (TCL), 4-wheel Anti-Lock Braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD), Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), high voltage cut-off system and an Approaching Vehicle Audible System (AVAS) are also included on every Mitsubishi i model as standard equipment.

Log on to i.MitsubishiCars.com for more information and to learn how to pre-order this groundbreaking energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly new vehicle from one of Japan's leading auto manufacturers.

Mitsubishi Adds Electric-Car Models: One's Cheaper, One Goes Further

2012 Mitsubishi i

Enlarge Photo

Mitsubishi Motors has played the next move in the growing global electric car war by announcing that it will offer three different versions of its popular four-seat electric car.

Much like the 2012 Tesla Model S Sedan, the only major difference between the three grades of car will be the size of the battery pack, meaning an ability for consumers to chose the battery pack which best suits their needs.

Launching in Japan and with an entry level price of 2.60 million yen ($32,000), the new Mitsubishi i-Miev M will offer just 75 miles of range per charge.

Like the standard i-Miev, it will feature a level 3 rapid charge port as standard, allowing owners to recharge in under 30 minutes where suitable charging facilities exist.

2012 Mitsubishi iGallery

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Next in the lineup will be the standard i-Miev, offering the same 100 mile range as the current model, but at a reduced price.

At the higher end of the market, the i-MIev G will offer an additional 10 miles of range for a total range of 110 miles per full charge. But thanks to economies of scale and the decreasing cost of production, even the i-Miev G will be cheaper to buy than its 100 mile-per-charge predecessor at 3.8 million yen ($46,968).

But before you get too excited, Mitsubishi has no official plans yet to bring the three range options to the U.S, where the Mitsubishi i-Miev will be redesigned and sold from 2012 as the Mitsubishi i.

We’d like to hope that Mitsubishi will offer different range options for any U.S. specification i, but we’re not sure many consumers will pay a premium for just 10 more miles of range. Given that Mitsubishi has already set a price of $27,990 for its U.S. spec 2012 Mitsubishi i, we're not sure how Mitsubishi would introduce a range of battery options without seriously subsidizing the larger capacity packs.

Source: All Cars Electric

Mitsubishi i Beats the Pack to a Sub $30K Price Point

With a sticker price of just $29,990 (before a $7500 federal tax rebate) Mitsubishi will sell you a brand-new, Mitsubishi i SE, complete with 66 hp highway-legal electric motor, premium sound system, a gussied-up interior (below), and more – which means Mitsu’s i comes in at several thousand dollars less than even the base Nissan Leaf.

Mitsubishi i SE interior.

Want to spend even less on your EV? Mistubishi will sell you their base model i for $27,990 with all the same ZEV goodness and (claimed) 85 mile range as the more upscale SE.

As before, the i’s marketing still seems to target fleets, but at just over $20K to retail clients, Mitsubishi may just convince a few potential Leaf and Volt buyers to buy their just-as-green, for much less green.

Let’s hope this “more for less” approach continues as Mitsubishi moves from the rally/race heritage of its past towards a more dedicated green focus by 2015.



Source: Gas2.0

Mitsubishi i Looking at 85 Miles All Electric Range

Mitsubishi i – Click above for high-res image gallery

Mitsubishi's much delayed electric car for America, the Mitsubishi i, will be launched with demo units in November 2011 for phase 1 markets in the West Coast U.S., followed by the North East region in March 2012 and a nationwide launch in the fall of 2012. Along with the attractive price of $27,990 (just $20,490 after federal tax incentives) the bigger, heavier U.S. version will stretch the little Mitsubishi's battery capability and Mitsubishi's Chief Engineer for North American R&D, Dave Patterson, told AutoblogGreen that the vehicle's 85-mile rated range is "the best case scenario." Speaking at the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) meetings in Washington DC this week, Patterson explained:

85 miles is the best case range scenario. It's better to put in a network of DC fast chargers in the right locations for our customers than to put in a lot more expensive batteries in our vehicle.

While it's not clear exactly how much the range will drop below 85 miles in real-world situations, the i's 16-kWh battery will have its work cut out to meet U.S. driver expectations. Mitsubishi hopes that partnerships with local communities and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) partners will help roll out the necessary charging infrastructure to support sales. Looks like Google's new EV charger location app will come in handy.



Source: AutoBlog Green